


Love Luke

by yeahboiislay



Series: The little letter gonna have to go a long, long way [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Bobby and Trevor are two different people, Carrie is too, Multi, Trevor is great!, he/they Luke, not beta'd we die eating hotdogs start a ghost band get evil stamps and nearly die AGAIN, uhh this is being posted after two hours of writing at 2am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28757277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeahboiislay/pseuds/yeahboiislay
Summary: Luke Patterson wrote letters to Julie Molina. With a little help, Julie finally got the letters.
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Ray Molina, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: The little letter gonna have to go a long, long way [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046233
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Love Luke

Julie clutched Luke’s letters in her hands, scared that they would disappear if she let go. She blinked the tears out of her eyes and tucked Luke’s letters back into her dream box, and made her way downstairs, dream box in her hands, past closed bedroom doors and out into the studio. She sat down on her- _no Luke’s couch_ \- and pulled the first letter out again.

Her heartbeat rang like a drum through her ears as she read the words Luke wrote for her. A small laugh escaped her lips as she read Luke lament about their handwriting. Julie closed her eyes, trying to imagine them next to her, but it was like a video without any audio. She had forgotten how they sounded, how he felt sitting beside her. Julie traced Luke’s name at the end of the page and tucked the papers back inside their envelope.

The second letter was slightly happier than the first. Mentions of Luke’s school friends made her glad, they were happy at least and able to follow their passion. At least they still played music. Julie let out a small gasp when she read Conrad’s name, “the world is so small,” she thought to herself. At the mention of Luke busking, Julie frowned. They always avoided working part-time, instead of enjoying the open air and music. Genevieve and Luke’s 14th birthday stirred memories in Julie’s mind. She could remember how Flynn pushed a slice flat on Luke’s face, how Carlos was four years old and attached by the hip to Luke. Julie could smell her mother’s perfume and faintly hear her laugh as Luke tore into the box to reveal the guitar.

The third letter was full of Luke, his band and the name choices all four of them had brainstormed. Julie’s heart filled with warmth as she imagined Luke dancing around the studio, trying to imagine what the rest of his band looked like. A sad smile made its way onto her face as she read the last paragraph. Luke would move heaven and earth to hear her voice and Julie hadn’t sung a note. Before tears could well up in her eyes, Julie tucked the third letter inside its envelope, thinking about the remix Flynn made.

Letter four confirmed the name and songs that Luke played. “Sunset Curve” Julie whispered to herself as she wildly grabbed for her phone. She quickly searched for them on youtube, glad to see audios of their songs uploaded, a blurry picture of the band as the cover image. She spotted Luke almost immediately, they were the shortest out of the quartet, hair hidden under a bright orange beanie. Not bothering to untangle her earphones, Julie plugged them in and clicked on a song titled Now or Never. She bopped her head up and down to the beat, basking in Luke’s voice as she read how he was questioning his sexuality and gender. 

Tucking both the letter into its envelope and the information about Luke’s preferred pronouns into her mind, Julie clicked on the next song titled Crooked Teeth and opened the fifth letter. The song felt personal and goofy as Julie read about how Alex and Luke kissed. The smile that had made its way onto her face fell slightly as the thought of her kissing Luke (and slight jealousy towards Alex) crossed her mind. Julie shook her head, stunned that she let her brain even let the thought cross it. The song finished as Julie read about how Alex was not interested in Luke (a shameful flush of gratitude flowing through her). Julie has to suppress a loud laugh as she read of Luke’s _“traumatic experience”_ that he was too traumatised to write. 

Julie paused the music, her phone edging dangerously to death and she wasn’t ready to go back inside her bedroom to charge it. Nick and Conrad both were heavy sleepers and had the habit of randomly moving their legs while they slept. Julie held the sixth envelope in her hands, confused by the grease stain and something that looked suspiciously like pizza sauce. Opening the letter, the first line cleared up the origin of the stains and Julie couldn’t help but laugh at the story. She let out a slight gasp when she read about how Luke fell two flights of stairs. But remembered how he would climb the roof and spider monkey down into the music room via the windows after Ms Harrison began to lock the door during class. A failed attempt at keeping Luke out of her classroom so she could teach. The last line made her giggle, as she remembered all the different ways he would say it. _‘Mama Mia get me some sanity in this pizzeria’_ he would say after she and Flynn concocted a slightly illegal plan. It was a baseless plea as he would always be in line with the girls, arm in arm as they pulled a prank.

Julie rubbed the scar of her forearm, the memory of climbing with Luke onto the school roof and the hospital trip afterwards playing in her mind. She would revive the pain and checks at the doctor’s office, just to be near them again. Luke’s next letter was much shorter than their other ones, measuring at only one paragraph. Julie groaned, remembering the only picture Luke had of them both in his wallet. It was their junior prom and both of them had decided to go together as dates. Luke was dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, a pair of black trousers and obnoxiously bright red socks that matched the silk dress that Julie wore. Luke pruned a single red Hibiscus flower from his neighbours garden to adorn Julie’s hair. The night itself had been a disaster, with someone fainting on the dancefloor and a gaggle of girls falling ill in the bathroom. But Luke had persuaded her to follow him, leading to a night where they ran through the city, eating dinner in a dingy restaurant and taking pictures in a photo booth that Julie was half-sure used for more **_personal encounters_** between people. Luke refused to let Julie sit on the small padded stool, instead choosing to pull her onto his lap. The pair of them only could afford two wallet-sized pictures. Luke tucked his copy into his wallet while Julie taped hers to the inside of her dream boxes lid. She opened her dream box and peeled the picture off the lid and smiled; Julie had rested her head on Luke’s shoulder and they both were looking into each other’s eyes. Before, Julie was 100% sure that the look she was giving him was purely platonic, but now she wasn’t sure. 

Subconsciously, she was always in love with Luke. 

Sighing, she pulled out the other three letters that were in the envelope. The first was written by Luke’s friend Alex, his handwriting was loopy like Flynn’s. _I like him_ , Julie said to herself. Alex seemed like the type of person who would care more for his friends than himself. She pulled out a scrap page and pen from inside her dream box and quickly scribbled a reply to Alex. Tucking both his and her letters inside the envelope, Julie pulled out the second letter addressed to her. It was from Reggie, Luke’s friend, bassist in Sunset Curve, Boyfriend to Bobby and Conrad’s cousin. Like she did for Alex, Julie wrote Reggie a letter and moved on to Bobby’s. The slight sadness that was growing while reading the letters written by the members of Sunset Curve lessened as she read Bobby’s letter. She could feel the happiness and euphoria in his words as he addresses himself as Reggie’s boyfriend. Julie swayed slightly as she read Bobby’s words on how he was rooting for her and Luke’s relationship. For a third and final time, Julie wrote a letter and then tucked it safely inside the full envelope. 

Luke’s eighth letter was written on a different type of paper and the pen was a completely different shade of black. Julie didn’t put too much thought into it until she read the first paragraph of Luke’s letter. She wanted to run wherever he was and shake them by the shoulders. Luke shouldn’t have run out but at least he had his friends there with them. Julie’s heart went out to Reggie and Alex; if her mother was alive, the boys would be ushered to the guest bedrooms with a warm drink and the promise of a safe space. Hell! Even Tia Victoria would make sure that they had a warm bed and food in their stomachs. Praying that their Beats and Eats gig was a success, Julie put the letter back in its envelope.

Julie’s prayers were answered in the next letter. The Beats and Eats gig had been a success, Sunset Curve got a manager and made its mark in the music industry. Julie let out a small whoop and danced around the studio as the door opened. Julie froze in the middle of the room, relaxing as she saw Carlos shuffle inside, Carrie right behind him. Both of them grunted in Julie’s direction before collapsing onto the couch. Julie shook her head and sat down in between them as Carlos’s head flopped down onto her shoulder. Carrie threw her blanket over Julie’s legs as Julie read about how Luke saw her mother’s photo taken by her father. A soft laugh came out of Julie’s mouth as Luke wished they could take her to try their chocolate brownie. 

Carrie held Julie’s dream box open as she placed the letter back into its envelope and pulled the next one out. Carrie watched as Julie opened the next letter, only to freeze, tears pooling in her eyes. She leaned over and read the first paragraph, “Oh Julie,“ Carrie said as she leaned up and wiped the few tears that had escaped both hers and Julie’s eyes. The two of them sat silently for a while, the only sound in the studio being Carlos’s light snores. Julie knocked her head against Carrie’s and continued to read Luke’s letter. Julie gasped and wacked Carrie as the latter asked what was wrong. Julie handed Carrie the letter. “Holy shit Jules. Fuck! Jules!” Carrie said in shock as she handed the letter back. _I love you,_ they wrote in them, _I. love. you_. Julie’s hands shook as she re-read those words over and over again. She tucked the letter back into its envelope and leaned back, letting Carrie wrap her up. 

Carrie had fallen asleep a while after Julie read Luke’s declaration of love. She hadn’t opened another letter, only four were left and she didn’t want it to end. Rubbing her eyes, Julie picked up the next letter and ripped it open. Warmth blossomed in Julie’s chest as she read how Luke reconciled with their parents and saw that they had matured. Luke wanted to make a connection with everyone and Julie wanted to make a connection with only him. “Oh,” she thought as she put the letter back in its envelope, “if only they could see a fraction of what she feels for them.”

Julie smiled happily as she read the third-to-last letter. She barely knew Alex and yet was over the moon for him after finding out he was in a relationship. She wished that she could meet Alex and Willie, Reggie and Bobby too. She wished that they all were together, even for a short time. Shrugging the sadness off, Julie continued reading, pleasantly surprised on finding out that Alex was a fan of Dirty Candi. Carrie had tried to get her to collaborate with the group on some songs as Flynn did. But Julie hadn’t been able to find the strength to sing after her mother’s death. If Luke thought her voice was like a sunbeam in December, then theirs was like a bout of rain in May.

There were only two letters left and Julie didn’t want it to end. These letters were her final connection to Luke and if she finished reading the letters, she would be losing Luke all over again. Taking a deep breath in, she opened the second-to-last letter and began to read it. She read the lyrics to the song Luke wrote for her birthday and felt tears prick in her eyes again. wishing he was in front of her or just even a phone call away. Julie folded the lyrics to Bright and placed it inside her dream box, next to the sheet music to Wake Up. Rose had left her a great gift and Julie still hadn’t had the strength to play her last song. She picked the loose sheet up and placed them in her lap as she opened the last letter Luke wrote to her.

Julie wiggled out from beneath her siblings and sat subconsciously sat down in front of the piano, letter and sheet music in hand. Luke was coming back to L.A. They were going to play at the Orpheum and _they were coming back to L.A._

The sun began to rise and light trickled into the studio as Julie tied her hair back into a low ponytail and lifted the cover of the piano. Placing the sheet music to Wake Up, she played the first few notes hesitantly. Peeking over the lid, she saw Carlos and Carrie look at her with both love and support in their eyes. Julie flashed them a smile and began the song again, confidence building with each stanza. Halfway through, Trevor and Ray walked into the studio, both flanking her sides, pride radiating off them. Julie put all the pain, anger, sadness and joy she felt into her performance, panting slightly as the song came to a close. The Wilson-Molina family engulfed her in a tight hug, all their faces slick with tears.

Breaking free from the hug, Julie turned to look at the studio door. Bathed in sunlight stood a familiar figure, their face wet with tears and a bright smile on their face. In their hands were a bunch of letters. Julie gasped, her hands flying to her face as she tried to find the words.

_"Luke?”_

**Author's Note:**

> fuck its like 2am here and i just finished this


End file.
